Lead The Way
by StarKidDarren
Summary: Blaine Anderson transfers to Hogwarts during the summer of his sixth year. He hoped to get away the reasons he left Dalton Academy of Magic, but will he? Will Blaine have to tell his new found friend Kurt about his dark past?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Blaine looked out the window of the train as they pulled away from Platform 9 ¾. He waved to his mother one last time before the train rolled on, carrying him with it and leaving his dear mother behind.

When she was finally out of sight, he surveyed the compartment around him. He was the only one in it, which didn't bother him. At Dalton Academy of Magic he hadn't had many friends, if any, and he was used to being alone.

At the thought of Dalton he winced mentally, remembering the reason why he had to leave and start the new school year here at Hogwarts. His parents seemed surprised when he'd voiced his request for the transfer at the beginning of summer, but didn't question much. He hadn't expected them to. They normally complied with his wishes without question.

He heard a tap on the glass door of the compartment and he looked over as the door was slid open by a tall, skinny boy with light brown hair. He looked over at Blaine and Blaine felt his heart clench in his chest. He couldn't bring himself to look away from the boy's eyes. The light filtering in through the window caught the small specks of green that seemed to be drowning in a sea of blue. The boy had a pretty face, and his light brown hair looked perfect, like the boy spent a long time trying to style it just right. Blaine realized that he was becoming attracted to the boy and reprimanded himself, knowing he could very well be setting himself up to be shoved down.

He was snapped back from his daze by the boy's soft voice.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Blaine smiled slightly and nodded his head, not saying anything. He looked down at his hands folded in his lap and started to idly pick at a loose thread on the cuff of his black robe, afraid to look up in fear that he might stare again.

The boy sat down across from Blaine, close to the window. Blaine could feel the boy looking at him, but said nothing and they sat in silence as Blaine kept picking at the loose thread.

"I'm Kurt Hummel," the boy finally said, his soft voice as smooth as silk. Blaine chanced a glance up and he smiled again, politely.

"I'm Blaine Anderson," he said.

"Are you new here at Hogwarts?" Kurt asked curiously, "I don't recall ever seeing you before."

Blaine nodded his head. "I'm a transfer from Dalton Academy of Magic."

"Dalton? You're transferring here from Dalton?" Kurt said surprise evident in his voice.

Blaine nodded his head and shrugged. "The curriculum was great, but I had some…. trouble at Dalton. The students didn't much take well to the idea of me being….." he hesitated for a minute "gay. I heard that Hogwarts has a great 'No-Bullying' policy. I told the headmaster about my situation and after he saw my marks said he'd be delighted to welcome me to the school."

Kurt nodded understandingly. "Headmaster Shuester is very understanding," he said absently, "and I myself haven't had too much trouble with any bullying because I'm gay."

Blaine eyes widened a little at the last words. "Wait? You're gay too?" he said, a bit surprised.

Kurt nodded and smiled, then let out a little chuckle. Blaine blushed slightly, though he wasn't sure why.

"So what house are you in?" Blaine asked, changing the subject.

"Warbler." Kurt said.

"That's the house they added on two years after the final battle right; the one for artistically talented students?" Blaine asked. He secretly hoped he got into the Warbler House. Dalton lacked a proper arts program, preferring to focus solely on magic. That was yet just another thing that Blaine disliked about Dalton.

Kurt nodded his head. "That's the one!" he said enthusiastically.

Blaine grinned and looked out the window. There was a brief moment of silence before there was another tap on the window, followed by the entrance of a thick dark skinned girl. Blaine looked her over as she stepped in.

"'Cedes!" Kurt exclaimed as he stood up and rushed over to the girl.

They embraced in a short hug before Kurt pulled away. He turned and looked over at Blaine then back at the girl.

"'Cedes, this is Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is Mercedes Jones, my best friend," he said, a happy grin on his face.

Mercedes smiled at Blaine before saying "Hey."

Blaine replied with a smile of his own and a simple "Hi."

Kurt walked back over and resumed his seat, while Mercedes sat down beside him. Kurt and Mercedes settled into comfortable idle chatter, while Blaine resumed the earlier act of picking at a loose thread on his cuff. He looked up every now and then when he was asked a question that would include him in on the conversation briefly. He smiled to himself as he listened to them talk.

Again there came a tap on the glass and a light skinned boy with longish Blonde hair stepped into the compartment. He immediately took a seat next to Mercedes and she looked away from Kurt long enough to smile sweetly at him and take his hand. When she and Kurt when back to talking, the blonde boy cleared his throat.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend over here you two?" he asked.

The two immediately quit talking and Blaine saw Kurt blush just slightly.

"Sam, this is Blaine. He's a transfer from Dalton. Blaine, this is Sam, Mercedes bottle-blond boyfriend." Kurt said.

"Hey! I'd thought we'd stopped with the whole 'you thinking I'm a fake blond thing'" Sam said indignantly.

Kurt merely looked across Mercedes at him with an eyebrow raised mockingly.

"Guess not." Sam mumbled.

After that, they all talked about anything and everything that came to mind. Blaine couldn't keep himself from smiling the whole time. More than once, he found himself staring at Kurt, mesmerized and each time he found his heart beat raise rapidly and he'd have to go back to picking at the loose thread on his cuff again. He spotted Kurt a few times staring his way also, longer than could pass for a glance, and that too made his heart beat and he'd get butterflies in his tummy.

When the sun had already disappeared from view behind the horizon for an hour or two, they found themselves coming to a stop. They all glanced around at each other, feeding off each others' excitement.

For Kurt, Mercedes, and Sam, it was the excitement of the beginning of another year at Hogwarts, getting to see old friends, and maybe make some news ones.

For Blaine, it was the excitement of a new start, a new school, new friends, new adventures, and maybe… just maybe, he thought, stealing a glance at Kurt, a little romance.

Blaine stepped off the train, grabbing his luggage and the cage containing his owl Moonshoes. He ran a hand through his dark, curly hair, his hazel eyes glowing with anticipation. He smiled as Kurt walked up to him, flashing him an excited grin, and Blaine thought to himself that maybe things would be alright after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So you all set?" Kurt asked, smiling as he came to a stop at Blaine's side. Blaine nodded his head in a reluctant manner, shifting Moonshoes' cage nervously. Kurt must have realized that Blaine was a nervous wreck just by the action because he reached over and gently grabbed Blaine's hand.

"Come on, I'll stay with you." Kurt said in a comforting tone. He squeezed Blaine's hand lightly as if to give him assurance that he meant what he said.

Blaine smiled sweetly. He knew Kurt was only trying to be nice, and that grabbing his hand was just a try at comfort, but Blaine couldn't help but blush slightly.

Kurt turned his head and looked around, slowly letting go of Blaine's hand.

"Let's head toward the carriages." Kurt said as he walked towards a crowd of older students. Blaine followed close behind, making sure to keep Kurt in sight. He felt slightly claustrophobic and smothered as he was jostled accidentally by excited teenagers who were all eagerly chatting while making their way in the direction of a line of black carriages.

When they finally reached the carriages, Blaine was awestruck. He'd heard that all years second and above were taken to the castle in carriages, but he had never heard that they had nothing pulling them along. He assumed it was some sort of magic since they were, in fact, moving down the dark lane to the castle even though they seemed to have nothing drawing them.

"Thestrals," Kurt said, spotting Blaine's confused expression.

Blaine mouth made and 'O' as realization finally dawned on him. "That makes sense," he said with a chuckle.

Kurt grinned as he climbed into a carriage that Sam and Mercedes already has occupied. Blaine climbed in after him, and sat down on the soft seat in the spot next to Kurt and across from Sam. He was glad that he was seated facing the castle. He marveled at the large stone structure, pointed spirals reaching towards the dark star-filled sky. Small windows of light could be seen scattered all over the castle, like fireflies lighting on a tree.

He tore his gaze away from the castle for a moment and looked over at Kurt who was telling Mercedes about something he had read in the Daily Prophet in the Wizard's Fashion portion, his hands and voice expressing his excitement. Sam sat watching Kurt with an amused smile, his arm around Mercedes who was watching Kurt intently, offering a few words every now and then. Blaine folded his hands in his lap neatly and proceeded to listen absently to Kurt.

Finally, their carriage came to a stop in front of the castle. Sam opened the door and stepped out, holding out a hand to help Mercedes down. Kurt climbed down gracefully after her and smoothed out his robes as he turned to look at Blaine, a sweet smile on his face.

Blaine hesitated, looking up at the castle which had seemed beautiful just moments before but now looked ominous and frightening. He grimaced slightly, and looked down at Kurt.

Even in the dark, Kurt's eyes made Blaine's heart clench in his chest. The light coming from the doors of the entrance to the castle played lightly as his blue eyes. They glowed with excitement and anticipation. With that thought, he was pulled forward by an invisible force and he climbed out of the carriage in a clumsy manner.

Kurt looked over at Mercedes who seemed to be waiting with Sam for Kurt and Blaine to join them. There seemed to be a silent communication between Kurt and Mercedes because Mercedes turned and walked to the door, Sam following her like a puppy.

As the carriage pulled away and another pulled up, the occupants emptying quickly, Kurt looked back at Blaine. "You ready to go?" he asked in a gentle tone. Blaine nodded, all of the sudden feeling thankful that Kurt had taken it upon himself to help Blaine through this.

Kurt reached over again and took Blaine's hand. This time he didn't let go as he led Blaine to the stairs leading up to the castle and through huge wooden doors.

Blaine squinted as they stepped in, his eyes adjusting to the drastic change in lighting. Kurt said something about taking him to the Headmaster's office, but Blaine didn't notice. He was too busy staring all around in awe.

There were multiple stone staircases that were… moving? There were paintings on the walls everywhere, the occupants of which were moving about doing various activities. There was much more to take in, but he was snapped out of his reverie when Kurt pulled him along, headed for one of the moving stair cases.

They took the nearest one and walked up it. They took a couple more staircases, Kurt humming a tune that Blaine didn't recognize, occasionally pointing out something he thought Blaine might find interesting. Finally Kurt stopped in front of a statue set back from the wall, lights illuminating it slightly from above, hidden inside the wall.

Kurt smiled at Blaine and let go of his hand as he walked up close to the statue. He whispered something to it and the statue automatically opened up revealing an opening with stairs going up to what Blaine guessed was the headmaster's office. Kurt signaled for him to follow and disappeared up the staircase.

Blaine raised and eyebrow and walked towards the staircase. He hesitated before plunging into the darkness, the statue closing instantly behind him. He stumbled a little as he walked up the poorly lit passageway. Though he couldn't see Kurt, Blaine could hear his footsteps and steady breathing ahead of him.

Blaine trod on in the dark for what seemed like forever before he finally heard Kurt stop and knock lightly on a door. Blaine caught up to him and stopped a step behind him before there came a muffled "Come in" from the other side of the door. Kurt opened it and walked in. Blaine followed, closing the door behind him and looking around the office.

It was kind of a quaint little place. It was a circular office, painted a cozy deep red, and pictures with black frames were lined all around the office, of past headmasters Blaine guessed. Most seemed to be sleeping peacefully inside the frames and a couple or them were awake, but they regarded Blaine and Kurt with an uninterested glance and stayed quiet. There was a huge bookcase along one wall which harbored books of all colors and sizes, and a thing Blaine recognized as a pensieve was atop a desk inside a small glass enclosure.

Kurt walked over and sat down in one of two black leather chairs in front of a large dark mahogany desk, behind which sat a smiling man in black and gold robes who Blaine supposed was none other than Headmaster Schuester himself.

He clasped his hands together with and excited look on his face and nodded his head towards the chair as if to motion for Blaine to sit down. Blaine walked the short distance to the chair and sat down.

"Kurt, I see you've taken it upon yourself to show Blaine around then?" Headmaster Schuester asked.

Kurt nodded his head with a shy smile and for the first time, Blaine saw him blush lightly.

"Ok, well, first things first," Headmaster Schuester said, "I am Headmaster Schuester, but you can just call me Mr. Schue."

Blaine nodded his head and Mr. Schue continued.

"Second thing, I sent you a list of all the rules of Hogwarts, and I hope you read them because while you're up here with me, that's what's being told to the students in the Great Hall." Mr. Schue raised and eyebrow and looked at Blaine.

"Twice; I've read it twice," Blaine said.

"Good, good," Mr. Schue replied with an approving nod, "Now onto the main event." He stood up and walked over to the book shelf. He grabbed a book off the middle section and pulled, revealing a small hidden cupboard. From it he pulled an old raggedy looking hat. He closed the cupboard and walked back towards the boys.

"This is the Sorting Hat. It's going to decide which house you will be placed in," Mr. Schue said, walking over and placing the hat on Blaine's head.

Blaine flinched when the hat spoke.

"Hmm…. I can see that you have potential to be a big star, a very big star. You have that spark, no doubt, that each in Warbler House have, but you are also very smart; cunning enough, it seems, to maybe even fit into Ravenclaw House," the hat said.

It was quite for a moment, seemingly pondering which decision to make. Blaine squirmed uncomfortably, not liking the fact that the hat was to big for him and that it had suddenly become quite unbearably hot in the room.

"Warbler!" the hat shouted. Blaine flinched once again and hurriedly pulled the hat down from his head. Mr. Schue grinned and took the hat from him.

While Mr. Schue replaced the hat to its original place, Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, both excited that they would be in the same house.

"So, the only other thing I need to tell you is welcome to Hogwarts. I'm glad you chose to come here and I hope you like it. Kurt should be able to help you with anything else you might need, and your robes, luggage, and schedule will be in your dormitory waiting for you. Now, I think it's time we get down to the Great Hall. I, for one, am famished, and if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Hummel, you have a performance to give."

Mr. Schue winked and left the room. Kurt stood up and looked at Blaine, the look of excitement and anticipation on his face more evident than ever.

"A performance?" Blaine asked.

Kurt smiled and shrugged. "Warbler House always picks someone to sing a solo and another number with a few others at the first feast of the year; this year, it just so happened to be me that got the solo." Though he tried to play it off like it was no big deal, Blaine could tell the Kurt was beyond excited.

"Well, let's get you down to the Great Hall then!" Blaine said, and this time, it was him who grabbed Kurt's hand and led him from the room. Kurt took control once they came back through the doorway and led the way back down the multiple staircases and finally they reached the Great Hall.

Blaine had half-expected the Great Hall to look like a high school cafeteria, but he found that he was sadly mistaken.

There were five long tables, lined on both sides with students of all ages, all dressed in black robes. Above each table there was a banner. A silver and green banner with a snake in the middle hung over the table on the far left of the Hall, over the table next to it hung a canary yellow and black banner with a badger taking up the middle area. Over the table on the far right hung a banner sporting maroon and gold surrounding a lion, and over the table next to it was hung a banner of blue and bronze with an eagle spreading its wings in the midst of the middle.

Then, there in the middle, was a table not quite as full as the others, but still crowded nonetheless. The banner overhead was a deep shade of blue, with a bright red as the corresponding color. In the middle, a unicorn reared on its back legs, its front legs pawing at the sky.

The ceiling was a reflection on the sky outside, stars dotted here and there and clouds clustered around a waning moon, and from the ceiling small lanterns were also hung.

On a raised platform in the opposite side of the Hall from the entrance was a single podium, and behind it, once long table. Adults that Blaine was sure were Hogwarts staff were lined all down the table. Mr. Schue was in the very middle of the table, smiling as an older lady chattered away to him.

The sight of the large eating hall was something that struck Blaine as the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, even though the sounds of all the students trying to be heard over one another made it impossible to really keep a clean train of thought going.

He felt someone touch his shoulder gently and he looked over to see Kurt grinning at him. All Blaine could think was that he hoped Kurt would always smile like that at him, and he wouldn't mind if he did it as often as he had been doing it tonight.

"Let's go get a seat before it really starts," Kurt said. Blaine followed him to the Warbler House table and Kurt took a seat beside Mercedes. He looked over his shoulder at Blaine and patted the empty space beside him. Blaine sat down beside him, instantly folding his hands in his lap.

"So I see your friend here made it into the best house there is, did he?" Mercedes said, looking at Blaine and playfully winking.

Blaine nodded his head with a grin then flinched slightly when a voice from beside him was suddenly making itself heard in a loud voice.

"Well I hope he can sing, because if we don't step it up a notch with our performances this year we definitely aren't going to win the House Cup. I think we're already off to a good start. With Melody gone, this year everyone will see that I'm the true talent of the House and I'll be the one in the spotlight. Putting me in the spotlight can only mean a definite win for us," the voice said.

Blaine looked to his left to see the voice had come from a pretty brunette girl who appeared to be a sixth year like Kurt and himself.

"Rachel, of course he can sing. Now will you step off your high pedestal for a minute so I can introduce you?" Kurt asked the girl in an irritated tone. "Blaine, this is Rachel Berry. Rachel, this is Blaine."

"Hi," Blaine said in an unsure tone.

Rachel laughed and so did Kurt, Mercedes, and Sam. Blaine looked confused and let out a fake laugh in attempt to seem like he understood. This only made them laugh harder.

Finally they finished laughing, all of them out of breath.

"Rachel's a little outgoing, but she is actually very talented, and a halfway decent friend," Sam said.

Blaine raised and eyebrow but before he could question any further, Mr. Schue's voice was heard throughout the hall loud and clear.

Everyone quieted immediately.

"Welcome everyone to another year at Hogwarts," he silenced for a moment, as if trying to think of anything else to say. "Well, I really have nothing more to say, so without further adieu, let the feast begin!" he snapped his fingers and food appeared on every table along with empty glasses and pitchers that contained anything that you could think of to drink.

Every food imaginable was on the table and Blaine piled his plate high with anything he could reach and filled his cup with Pepsi. He looked over to see Kurt eating a small salad, his cup containing just simply water. He laughed to himself and started guzzling down his food. Everyone talked with everyone, Blaine meeting Finn and Puck, a tall dark headed boy and a boy with a Mohawk, both beaters on the house Quidditch team. He chatted easily with them about the upcoming Quidditch season.

Once everyone had had their fill of the main course, Mr. Schue snapped his fingers once again and the cups were replaced with mugs of never-ending hot chocolate and the food replaced with deserts of every find. Blaine once again filled his plate to the fullest and Kurt ate only a small strawberry tart.

When they were all satisfied and too stuffed to eat anything more, Mr. Schue snapped his fingers a third time and the tables were cleared. He rose from his seat and walked to the podium again.

"And now, it's time for the first musical performance of the year from our very own Warbler House. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Kurt Hummel to the stage."

Blaine smiled encouragingly at Kurt as he stood and walked towards the stage. Everyone clapped and there were shouts of enthusiasm from everyone. Excitement was thick in the air. Mr. Schue had snapped his fingers once again and instruments had appeared on the stage and the podium had been replaced with a microphone and stand.

Everyone watched as Kurt gracefully took center stage and grabbed the microphone. Blaine watched in amazement as the instruments began to play with no evident musicians playing them. His heart stopped when Kurt let out the first word of the song.

_It's a four letter word_

_a place you go to heal your hurt_

_It's an alter, it's a shelter_

_One place you're always welcome_

_a pink flamingo, double wide_

_One bedroom in a high rise_

_a mansion on a hill_

_Where the memories always will_

_keep you company_

_whenever you're alone_

_after all of my running_

_I'm finally coming_

_Home_

_The world tried to break me_

_I found a road to take me_

_Home_

_There ain't nothing but a blue sky now_

_After all of my running_

_I'm finally coming_

_Home_

Kurt sang the words of the song with so much passion it made Blaine's heart want to explode. He had discovered yet another thing about Kurt that he knew he would never get tired of.

_Well they say its where the heart is_

_and I guess the hardest part is_

_when your heart is broken_

_and you're lost out in the great wide open_

_looking for a map_

_finding your way back_

_to where you belong_

_well that's where I belong_

Blaine started to mouth the words along with Kurt.

_Home_

_The world tried to break me_

_I found a road to take me_

_Home_

_There ain't nothing but a blue sky now_

_After all of my running_

_I'm finally coming_

_Home_

_Home…_

_Home…_

Blaine couldn't keep from smiling as Kurt looked right at him and sang the closing lyrics of the song.

_Home_

_The world tried to break me_

_I found a road to take me_

_Home_

_There ain't nothing but a blue sky now_

_After all of my running_

_I'm finally coming_

_After all of my running_

_I'm finally coming_

_Home_

There was a silence when Kurt finished the song before the Great Hall erupted in shouts and claps and whistles. Even Blaine couldn't keep himself from shouting as loud as he could and clapping so hard his hands hurt.

When the roar of the crowd died down, others from the Warbler House stood up and walked to the stage, positioning themselves around Kurt. Blaine tried to remember all of their names. He recognized Sam, Mercedes, Rachel, Finn and Puck. He thought maybe that was Brittney, Quinn, Santana, Mike, Tina, and Lauren.

A boy in a wheelchair that Blaine was sure was called Artie, wheeled his way in a wheelchair to the front to replace Kurt. When he'd done that, the music began.

_LA-SER_

_Alright, already the show goes on_

_Alright, till the morning we dream so long_

_Anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up_

_Just remember when you come up_

_The show goes on!_

_Alright, already the show goes on_

_Alright, till the morning we dream so long_

_Anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up_

_Just remember when you come up_

_The show goes on!_

Blaine watched as the performers sung and danced around the stage in practiced ease. They all seemed comfortable on stage, and each one had a big smile on their face.

_Have you ever had the feeling that you was being had_

_Don't that sh-t make you mad_

_They treat you like a slave, with chains all on your soul,_

_And put whips up on your back,_

_They be lying through they teeth_

_Hope you slip up off your path_

_I don't switch up I just laugh_

_Put my kicks up on they desk_

_Unaffected by they threats than get busy on they ass_

_See that's how that Chi-Town made me_

_That's how my daddy raised me_

_That glittering may not be gold, don't let no body play me_

_If you are my homeboy, you never have to pay me_

_Go on and put your hands up, when times are hard you stand up_

_L-U-P the man, cause a brand that the fans trust_

_So even if they ban us they'll never slow my plans up!_

Blaine laughed, not expecting that Artie would be able to rap THAT good. He watched in amazement as they continued to sing in perfect harmony, there voices blending in perfect as they sang.

_Alright, already the show goes on_

_Alright, till the morning we dream so long,_

_Anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up_

_Just remember when you come up_

_The show goes on!_

_Alright, already the show goes on,_

_Alright, till the morning we dream so long_

_Anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up_

_Just remember when you come up_

_The show goes on!_

They ended the song, each with a fist in the air, an even bigger smile on their face, and all definitely out of breath. Once again the Great Hall erupted in claps and shouts.

The performers returned to the Warbler House table, resuming their seats.

"That was terrific!" Blaine exclaimed as Kurt sat down beside him.

Kurt grinned. "Thanks," was all he had time to say before Mr. Schue reclaimed all attention.

"I'm glad to see that the Warblers are still as talented as ever, and I'm already ready to be out in the stands at the Quidditch field to see the rest of the talent here at Hogwarts. Now, please be safe on the way to your dormitories, and remember that classes start bright and early in the morning. Prefects please locate all first years from your house and make sure they make their way safely to your house common rooms. Thank you all, and have a wonderful year at Hogwarts!"

The Great Hall came alive as the students all stood from their seats and made their way out of the Great Hall. Kurt looked at Blaine and smiled that smile.

"Lead the way," was all that Blaine could manage to say.

Kurt nodded his head and they walked side by side together out of the Great Hall.

19


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kurt navigated them through the many staircases and the twisting halls that made up Hogwarts. They talked idly about anything that came to mind. Blaine came to realize that Kurt and he had a lot more in common than either initially thought. He felt a sense of calm serenity finally settle over his jittery nerves. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was starting to get used to Kurt, or that he seemed to finally have found someone who understood himself as much as he did.

Finally Kurt brought them to a stop in front of a large painting of a Warbler, hopping back forth from one branch to another. It stopped and looked at Blaine and Kurt, tilting its tiny head to the side.

_The world tried to break me_

_I found a road to take me_

_Home_

Blaine looked over in confusion as Kurt sang a line on the song he had sang in the Great Hall. Kurt merely smiled coyly at him at the painting swung outwards forwards them, revealing a large opening through which Kurt stepped through and Blaine followed. When he was inside, the painting closed behind, leaving them in what Blaine realized was the Warbler common room.

The room seemed full, but at the same time, comfortable. It wasn't cramped, and was very tidy and everything seemed to have a special place. There were four large dark blue leather sofas and four leather recliners placed in a rectangle – a chair at each corner of the rectangle – placed around a large stone fire pit, in which a warm glow emitted. A stage complete with six microphones and stands, instruments, and fancy lighting was located directly across from the door, with four more sofas and two recliners placed around the front of it.

Red and blue Warbler banner hung all around the room and on the wall behind the stage was a large picture of a unicorn, peacefully grazing inside the frame. Steps could be seen on either adjacent sides of the room, the set on the right the dark almost navy blue, and the left set were the bright red, both seeming to lead up and to the right.

Blaine was pulled out of his inspection of the room by Kurt's voice.

"The boy's dorm is up the blue stairs," he said, pointing to the mentioned stairs.

Blaine nodded his head and smiled, walking towards them. This time, Kurt followed him. He walked down a long hall, still paved in the dark navy blue carpeted hall, passing doors that had "First Years", "Second Years", "Third Years", and so on until e found the door labeled "Sixth Years" nearly at the end of the hall.

Taking a breath before opening the door, he stepped in. The room was roomy, and nine beds with red pillows and blue comforters were placed around the edge of the room. Each had a dark wooded chest at the end and a bed side table made of the same type of wood it seemed. Red curtains were pushed to the wall but it seemed that the pulled all the way around the bed to permit some privacy. Drawers were underneath the bed to store more personal items in, and four bathrooms were located around the room.

Blaine smiled to himself for a minute before looking at Kurt, who pointed to a bed that had what seemed like robed folded neatly with a paper attached, laid on one of the pillows at the top of the bed. He walked over, taking the note off and looking over what was his class schedule.

"May I see?" Kurt asked from where he sat on the bed next to his.

Blaine nodded and handed it to him before unfolding the robes and looking them over, then placing them in an empty drawer under his bed. He located his luggage underneath it, pulled it out, and began to unpack. Kurt handed him the schedule back with a grin on his face. Blaine raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him.

"We have all the same classes together," Kurt said with a casual shrug as he, too, began to unpack. He pulled out his Ipod and a laptop which he plugged up and began to play Broadway songs from. They sang along to every song from Rent and a couple other famous Broadway shows before they were finished packing.

They then pulled the curtains around their beds as they changed clothes. Blaine pulled his back around just as Kurt was doing the same. They stood for a moment, just looking at each other, smiling. Finally, Kurt looked over and finished pulling his curtain back to its original place.

Blaine did the same before flopping down on his bed and crawling under the covers. He lay there for a moment on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He turned his head and saw that Kurt was doing the same. He turned his attention back to the ceiling. The room was now barely lit, the only light coming from a lamp on the beside table in between Kurt and himself. It was a calm and comfortable setting, Blaine thought.

"So, do you like Hogwarts," Kurt asked, his voice soft.

Blaine nodded his head, still looking at the ceiling. "Yeah… Yeah, I think I do," he replied in a voice just as soft, not wanting to ruin the calm atmosphere.

There was a silence for a minute, both boys seeming comfortable to just lie there, looking at the ceiling and reveling in their own thoughts.

"What's your favorite part of Hogwarts so far," Kurt asked, breaking the silence with his still hushed tone.

Blaine looked over at him again, and stayed silent for a moment. He then looked back at the ceiling, still not saying anything. He tried to think of a way to make it sound… not weird, but every time he thought it out in his head, it sounded that way.

Finally, he released a deep breath.

"It's you Kurt. I've finally found what seems to be the one person who understands… me," he said in an almost whisper.

He waited a moment, wondering if Kurt had heard him. When the silence finally got to him, he looked over at the bed next to him.

Kurt's head was now facing Blaine, but his eyes were no longer open. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully now, a serene smile on his face.

Blaine smiled at the sight, wondering if Kurt had fallen asleep looking at him. He also wondered, above all, whether Kurt had heard Blaine's answer to his question before he'd fallen asleep.

Blaine looked at Kurt, this time, taking in the sight if him. He took in every detail about the delicate features of his face; the high cheek bones, thin pink lips that seemed to be shaped perfectly, a small nose that Blaine realized he found super cute, long eye lashes closed over eyes that were the most beautiful blue Blaine had ever seen, hair framing the boy's face slightly, a small stray strand falling across his forehead. Blaine longed to reach over and tuck the strand away from the perfect image that he was looking at but didn't, in fear of waking him. He tucked the image away in the back of his brain, saving it for a rainy day.

Blaine looked back up at the ceiling, and in that moment he made a vow to himself that he would get to know Kurt better, become his friend, memorize every detail about him, and most importantly, somehow find out how Kurt felt about him before making another slip up like he just had. He made the vow in fear that he might ruin any chance at all the he might have with Kurt, if he had any at all.

He smiled slightly, reaching over and turning off the lamp quietly. He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic sound of Kurt's even breaths. The sound lulled him more and more into unconsciousness, but not before he heard the rest of the sixth year boys slip into the room, yawning as they climbed into their beds. Finally, Blaine fell asleep.

Blaine jerked awake. His heart was racing, and he tried to calm it, reminding himself it was just a dream. Only, it wasn't. It was real. It had happened, and on night's like these, he's was reminded of just how real it was.

Before he could fully delve into thoughts he wished he could avoid but always came after he woke up from nightmares, he heard a stirring beside him. He looked over and saw Kurt sit up, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

He looked over at Blaine, his eyes still half closed.

"Blaine? Are you ok? You look terrified," Kurt stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

Blaine nodded his head, "I-I'm fine. I just had a bad dream is all."

Kurt smiled dreamily, still seeming not fully awake. "If we shower and get ready now we can beat everyone to the Great Hall and I'll be able to show you around a bit before we go to class if you'd like."

Blaine smiled slightly. "Sure," he said as he climbed out of bed and walked towards one of the bathrooms.

They quietly went about the task of getting ready, careful not to wake anyone. Blaine felt grateful for the many bathrooms so he didn't have to wait for Kurt.

After brushing his teeth and running a hand through his dark curly hair, he put on his Warbler House robes for the first time. They fit perfectly, as he knew they would. He walked out of the bathroom, noticing that Kurt seemed to still be in one of the others. Blaine figured he was probably fixing his hair, so he plodded over and flopped down on his bed.

He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He remembered the night before, both Kurt and he lying on their backs in just this position. He also remembered the confession he'd made to Kurt and the promise to himself that had followed.

Just as his eyes were about to close and he was about to fall back asleep, Kurt emerged from the bathroom, dressed, hair done, and ready to go. Blaine grabbed his school bag and headed for the door, Kurt following behind him.

They walked side by side out of the common room. As they walked down the multiple flights of stairs headed for the Great Hall, silence hung heavy around them. It seemed as if the whole school was still asleep. Early morning light filtered in through the windows along the hall.

"Sorry I fell asleep last night," Kurt finally broke the silence. "I was just lying there, waiting for you to answer the question, and I sort of dozed off without realizing it."

Blaine shrugged casually. "I fell asleep shortly after, so it's alright."

They walked along in silence for the rest of the walk to the Great Hall.

The Hall was empty, but there were already plates of food on the tables. Kurt and Blaine walked to the Warbler table and took seats across the table from each other. They both filled their cups with coffee, though Kurt, like the previous night, ate very little while Blaine ate as much as he could fit on a plate.

"It amazes me that you eat so much and still have such a great body structure," Kurt said as he eyed him wearily while Blaine started eating the food piled on his plate.

Blaine merely smiled and kept eating. Kurt shaking his head went back to nibbling at a piece of toast. Suddenly, Blaine heard a screech over head and looked up just as something landed in front of Kurt.

"Good morning Pavarotti," Kurt greeted the owl in front of him cheerfully. The owl dropped something into Kurt's lap and Kurt grabbed his bag, digging deep inside it for something. He finally pulled out a plastic bag labeled "Owl Treats" and pulled one out, feeding it to the snow white bird. It hooted happily, and Kurt petted it affectionately on the head before it took flight again.

Blaine watched the whole thing with an odd, goofy smile on his face. He found the actions to be quite cute. Kurt looked over at him and Blaine saw him blush for the third time.

"That's Pavarotti. I know he's only a bird, but he's kind of like one of my best friends," Kurt said, looking down as he busied himself unrolling the parcel he had received.

"I thought it was sweet," Blaine said, taking a sip of his coffee. This morning it was in a plastic cup with a lid, like the ones you get at a coffee shop. He set it down on the table and ran a finger around the rim of it.

Kurt looked up at him with a slightly surprised yet curious expression, but looked back down before Blaine had even realized he had looked up.

"This is all rubbish!" Kurt exclaimed. "I really must unsubscribe to this. It isn't worth the hassle for Pavarotti to even bring to me!" He sat the paper down on the table with an exasperated sigh.

Blaine raised an eyebrow and looked at Kurt, not even bothering to see what the fuss was about. Kurt picked the newspaper up and offered it to Blaine. Blaine shook his head.

"I prefer not to associate with the Daily Prophet. It's 'all rubbish'" he grinned.

Kurt chuckled and tossed the paper down the table.

"I'll leave it there. Surely some of the girls will enjoy it. New gossip material."

This time Blaine was the one who chuckled. Kurt stood up, grabbing his coffee cup.

"Ready to go?" he asked, looking down at Blaine.

Blaine nodded and stood up. They were met at the doorway to the Great Hall by a boy with short blond hair and sharp gray eyes. He had a slight pointed face and was wearing a green and silver Slytherin tie, a silver 'Prefect' badge gleaming from its place on his chest. He smiled at the two as he walked past them without a word. He was followed by two large boys, both with dark brown hair and matching Slytherin ties.

Blaine stiffened and his heart seemed to stop in his chest. It suddenly became hard to breath and he looked around frantically. He had to get out of here. He rushed towards the door. He felt suffocated. As he burst out of the Great Hall, he almost ran right into an adjacent wall. He put out an arm to brace himself against the wall. The stone was cold under his hand, and he felt like he might retch soon.

Then Kurt was behind him, rubbing his back and saying stuff in an urgent and worried voice, though Blaine's brain couldn't comprehend what he was saying. The only thing he could think was "No. Not here. It can't be. You're just imagining things Blaine, get a hold of yourself. Not here."

Finally he was able to pull himself together and he turned to face Kurt. The look of confusion and worry on Kurt's face made Blaine straighten up and finally clear his head.

"Blaine, what the hell was that?" Kurt practically shouted.

Blaine looked at Kurt, his eyes searching Kurt's face. When his hazel eyes met Kurt's, he felt a calm settle over him as he lost himself in the soft, bright blue that he had loved since he first saw Kurt. He shook himself mentally and once again pulled himself together before speaking.

"I just felt a little sick there for a minute and had to get out of there." He felt guilty for not telling Kurt the whole truth, but he wasn't ready to tell anyone yet. "I'm ok now though."

"Are you sure? You saw Fabian and it was like a trigger switched or something. Scared me half to death, you did." Kurt shook his head and looked at Blaine.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said, looking down. His head then shot up. "Wait, you said that boy, his name is Fabian?"

Kurt nodded his head, a look of confusion still evident on his face. "Yeah, that's Fabian Louise. He's a Slytherin sixth year Prefect. He's actually very nice. We're friends, so to speak." Kurt shrugged.

Blaine nodded his head absently, feeling slightly relieved. He felt much better after Kurt handed him his coffee cup and he took a drink.

"Well, now that you seem to be feeling better, you up for that tour I promised?" Kurt asked, his blue eyes big and pleading in a way that reminded Blaine of a puppy.

"Of course," Blaine laughed.

Kurt grinned brightly and he led Blaine up a nearby staircase. He showed Blaine many classrooms that were on their schedule and several classrooms that weren't.

Blaine paid little attention to the location of the classrooms and didn't even attempt to memorize the way to get to them, knowing he wouldn't remember where they were anyways. Kurt chattered during the walks in between each classroom as Blaine listened curiously. Most of the things Kurt talked about had to do with embarrassing past performances, mainly from his first three years at Hogwarts when he was still pretty young. He admitted to Blaine his insecurities as a first year, wondering whether the sorting hat had made the right choice putting him in Warbler House.

"So when are we going to start on working on numbers?" Blaine inquired, holding his hands behind his back as they strolled along the hallway that wasn't quite as deserted and quite as it had been that morning.

Kurt seemed to be caught slightly off guard and he was quiet for a moment, seemingly trying to collect his thoughts.

"Um, I hadn't thought about it. We start fairly early, because we need to have perfect performances if we expect to keep up with the other houses, point wise. They all have Quidditch teams that earn the majority of their points. We have to give performances to earn points to stay in the running for the house cup."

Blaine nodded his head. "So explain to me actually how points are given for the performances. I feel quite in the dark about the whole thing."

Kurt heaved a sigh, and Blaine looked over at him confused. Kurt's eyes got round and he shook his head hastily, throwing up his hands.

"No no no. I mean, it's just kind of hard to actually explain the points system as a whole."

Blaine raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for Kurt to carry on. They kept walking along the hallway, Kurt directing them up or down a staircase every now and then.

"Of course, I guess you'll need to know sooner or later, and I'm sure the others won't be very eager to explain it to you…" Kurt took a deep breath before continuing. "Where to begin… I guess I should begin with the performances. Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start. Well, every year, Warbler House is assigned 6 performances in the Great Hall, not counting the one given at the very beginning and end of the year. Normally we do them the week following each Quidditch game. Like Quidditch, we are only allowed to use second years and up. For each performance, the staff is required to give an unbiased grading of it. Their gradings determine how many points we earn. It's never much, but it's just enough to keep us in the running."

They came to a stop at the top of a staircase and turned right down the corridor. The hallways were becoming more and more packed, which made Blaine slightly uncomfortable. Kurt had stopped talking for the moment as he paved a way through the crowd. When they reached a less populated part of the hallway, Blaine decided to speak up.

"That doesn't seem too complicated."

"Well, that part isn't. We've actually gotten fairly close to winning the House Cup the past few years, but we didn't have very good organization. We always have a solo, a duet, and a big group number every performance. Finding time to practice our group number is always difficult because it includes a majority of the house. Getting everyone together for something like that isn't easy. This year, I'm hoping it's different."

Blaine nodded understandingly as he barely dodged around a group of second year Ravenclaw girls. Kurt kept walking, seeming like an expert as he weaved his way down the corridor. Blaine finally found his way back to Kurt's side and Kurt carried on.

"Anyways, as strictly a Warbler House thing, we have weekly assignments that Mr. Shue, our head of house, assigns to us himself. Those are always fun because everyone always gets really creative with them, but it just makes it even more difficult to get practices done for the performances. Not to mention we don't earn any points for it. Back to the group performance though; we do auditions for the solos and duets and such. Oh, and we are also allowed to wear costumes and everything for the performance, the whole shebang. Not everyone in the house sings, and the ones with the hands for art are the ones that design the costumes or do choreography or props, stuff of that nature. Everyone contributes to the big performances, especially the one around Christmas."

Kurt abruptly stopped in front of a classroom doorway. Blaine, busy trying to focus on avoiding people was caught unawares and walked past Kurt before stopping and walking back.

"This is it. I was busy telling you about the performances that I nearly forgot where we were going. Good thing I realized it before we passed it too far. You never want to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" Blaine asked, kind of nervous at the tone in Kurt's voce as he said the last sentence.

"Because, Professor Sylvester teaches it, and you never know what she's going to do if you're late. I'm just glad we're early." Kurt walked into the classroom and Blaine followed, hesitantly.

Kurt chose a seat right in the middle of the room, and Blaine sat down beside him.

"Never sit right up front, or in the back. Worst place in the classroom to sit." Kurt warned in a hushed tone. The classroom seemed pretty empty. Rows of desks, what appeared to be a cabinet or wardrobe typed thing, and a large table up front were really the only objects in the room.

"Why is that?"

"She always picks people from the back for her demonstrations, and those never turn out pretty. People up front are subject to anything. Professor Sylvester is pretty unpredictable, and when you sit in the front row it's kind of hard to really concentrate on your work for worrying about what she's going to do to you."

Blaine sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his dark curly locks. "This class and its teacher sound unpleasant," he pointed out bluntly.

Kurt chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "The class itself isn't bad, and Sylvester is actually a good teacher. Everyone says she's horrible through and through, but I beg to differ. She might be able to fool everyone else, but not Kurt Hummel."

Blaine laughed and reached to pull his quill, ink, and parchment from his school bag. By the time he had found the items, the classroom had become quite active. They were sharing this class with Ravenclaw's sixth years. The middle seats were taken first, and then they started spreading towards the front and back. Finn and Puck sat next to Blaine, with Mercedes and Sam taking the seats to Kurt's left. Rachel filed in, quickly spotting Finn and rushing over. No sooner than she had sat down, she immediately started talking to Finn about a possible duet for the big performance. Finn answered with a short "Maybe," which only made Rachel talk more.

Finally, the class was full, and a tall woman with short blonde hair and a mean lok on her face marched in, shutting the doors behind her. She was wearing a pair of blue robes that looked like they had been made from a jump suit. Her eyes darted here and there, looking at random students. This creeped Blaine out, and he jumped when she finally spoke.

"Well, aren't you a sorry looking lot!" she half yelled as she reached the front of the room. She took another long sweeping glance around the room before turning around and walking to wardrobe, flinging open the doors. The wardrobe was full of books, which she pointed her wand at, flicking it towards the students. After each student had received a book, she went and sat on top of the desk at the front of the room.

"I'm Professor Sylvester. Since butt-chin gets to be called Mr. Shue, call me Coach Slyvester, got it? Professor is too formal for your tiny brainsto be using. Now, this year we are going to learn about a little thing called nonverbal spells. Someone tell me what a nonverbal spell is."

There was a silence in which Coach Sylevseter started her look around the classroom once more.

"No one? Are you all so dumb-witted that you can't tell me what a nonverbal spell is?"

Blaine sank down in his seat as the class was quiet again. Finally, he could take the silence no more. He slowly raised his hand, keeping it low, but high enough for Coach Sylvester to spot him.

"Yes, you, Hobbit sitting beside Porcelain; you know the answer?"

Blaine tried to ignore the fact that he could feel everyone's eyes one him as he sat up. He simply nodded his head.

"Well, on with it then. We haven't got all day."

"A nonverbal spell is a spell which is performed without saying the incantation out loud. Performing spells nonverbally is very difficult and requires a good deal of practice, as it requires concentration and mental discipline alone," he cited off. He slunk back down in his seat a little as the silence ensued.

Coach Sylvester smiled and nodded her head. "That would be correct. Can you tell me a spell that is one of the easiest to perform nonverbally?"

"Levicorpus. It's a jinx that causes a victim to be hoisted into the air and dangle upside-down. It is intended to be used noverbally," Blaine recited.

"Exactly, Levicorpus. Nice Job Hobbit. Now, who wants to come let me demonstrate to the whole class just the exact purpose of Levicorpus?" Coach Sylester looked towards the back of the room when no one volunteered. Blaine felt glad that Kurt had warned him to sit in the middle of the classroom, because he knew the precise use of the spell was used by teenagers to hang helpless victims upside down and embarrass them, usually by pulling down their pants.

He looked over at Kurt, who smiled an "I told you so" smile at him and Blaine had surpass a laugh. He could already tell that this was going to be a fun class.

18


End file.
